1979 USSR Chess Championship

The 1979 Soviet Chess Championship was the 47th edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 29 November to 27 December 1979 in Minsk. The tournament was won by Efim Geller. He won it at the age of 54 and was the oldest player ever to have won the Championship, and did so in a field where young players abounded as never before. The qualifying tournaments took place in Bălți and Bishkek.

Qualifying Swiss Qualifying The Swiss Qualifying was held in Bălți from 8-28 August 1979 with 62 players. Nukhim Rashkovsky won gaining a direct promotion to the final.

First League

The top six qualified for the final.

+ Bishkek, 2-29 October 1979 Player Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total1 Sergey Dolmatov2495 - 0 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1112 Sergey Makarichev2500 1 - ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 110½3 Yuri Razuvaev2470 ½ ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 110½4 Konstantin Lerner2475 ½ 1 ½ - ½ 1 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 0105 Yuri Anikaev2455 0 ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1106 Artur Yusupov2490 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ - 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½9½7 Vladimir Tukmakov2575 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 - 1 ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 0 ½ 0 198 Alexander Ivanov 1 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 0 - 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 199 Gennadij Timoscenko2530 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 - ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½910 Alexander Kochyev2545 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ - 0 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1911 Karen Grigorian2480 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 1 - 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1912 Lev Psakhis2480 0 0 0 1 1 ½ 0 0 ½ 1 1 - ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 18½13 Vladimir Bagirov2545 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ - 0 ½ 1 ½ 18½14 Adrian Mikhalchishin2480 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 1 0 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 - 0 ½ 1 1815 Leonid Yurtaev 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 - ½ 0 06½16 Fikret Sideifzade2320 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 1 0 ½ ½ - ½ 0517 Alvis Vītoliņš2430 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ - 0518 Smbat Lputian 0 0 0 1 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 -5

Final

The position after 11 rounds was exciting with Balashov, Geller, Kasparov, Kupreichik and Yusupov all sharing the lead on seven points. However, Geller finished like an express train. He had begun with seven draws before he won in rounds 8, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15. Tal's result was catastrophic, and lost him 40 rating points. His poor form was largely due, according to chief judge Flohr in the bulletin, to the fact that he could not resist a wave of influenza which other participants threw off without too much difficulty.

+ 47th USSR Chess Championship Player Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total1 Efim Geller2550 - ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 111½2 Artur Yusupov2490 ½ - 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 010½3 Garry Kasparov ½ 1 - ½ ½ 1 1 1 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 0 ½104 Yuri Balashov2600 ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1105 Sergey Makarichev2500 ½ ½ ½ ½ - ½ 1 0 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 19½6 Tamaz Giorgadze2535 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ - 1 1 ½ ½ 0 1 0 1 1 ½ ½ 19½7 Viktor Kupreichik2365 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 - 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 0 1 19½8 Rafael Vaganian2570 ½ 0 0 ½ 1 0 0 - 1 ½ ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½99 Konstantin Lerner2475 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 - ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½8½10 Nukhim Rashkovsky2500 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ - 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½811 Alexander Beliavsky2595 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 0 0 - ½ 0 0 0 1 1 ½812 Yuri Razuvaev2470 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 1 ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½813 Oleg Romanishin2560 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 0 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ - 1 1 ½ 0 1814 Mikhail Tal2615 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 - ½ 0 1 17½15 Sergey Dolmatov2495 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 1 0 0 ½ - 1 1 ½7½16 Evgeny Sveshnikov2545 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 0 - 1 ½717 Yuri Anikaev2455 0 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 0 0 0 - ½5½18 Vitaly Tseshkovsky2560 0 1 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ -5½

References